Society news and notes

February 8, 2013

On March 15-16, the city of Minot will serve as host of the Special Olympics North Dakota State Basketball Tournament for the 31st consecutive year. More than 350 Special Olympics athletes from across the state of North Dakota will participate in the two-day event. SOND is currently seeking key volunteers to serve in an organizational role of the tournament. If you are interested in learning more about the State Tournament or would like to volunteer, please contact Special Olympics at 800-279-4201.

The success of Special Olympics events like the State Basketball Tournament are driven by community minded volunteers seeking to make a difference. Over the course of the two-day event, more than 200 day-of-event volunteers will participate to support the close to 40 basketball teams from across the state that are competing.

Special Olympics North Dakota is a private, non-profit organization that provides year-round physical fitness, sports training, and competition in 15 sports to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. All activities are provided free of charge to the participants and their families. More than 1,400 athletes, 4,300 volunteers and 330 coaches participate throughout the state of North Dakota.

Tioga lodge lends support for project

The Sons of Norway Lodge in Tioga has made a financial donation to the North Dakota Heritage Center expansion project, as part of a statewide effort led by the Sverdrup Lodge of Bismarck to encourage Norwegian-Americans in the state to raise funds to name a meeting room in honor of their Norwegian heritage.

The Vennlig Lodge of Tioga contributed $430 to the campaign recently.

The Sverdrup Lodge is leading a campaign to encourage all N.D. Sons of Norway members and Norwegian-Americans in the state to raise $100,000 to name a meeting room in honor of their Norwegian heritage. The campaign is being coordinated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation.

For more information on the campaign, contact Karl Lembke, SHSND Foundation development officer at 391-3405, or Rick Collin, SHSND Foundation communications and outreach director, at 214-0109. For more about the SHSND Foundation, visit their website at (www.statehistoricalfoundation.com).

Minot man tapped to lead state club

George Masters, Minot, has been elected vice president of the North Dakota Street Rod Association. A Pennsylvania native, Masters has lived in Minot since 1975. Masters is also president of the Dakota Cruisers, headquartered in Minot. The NDSRA has around 700 members, while the Dakota Cruisers membership has about 300.

Masters places a strong emphasis safety, and along with his team promotes safety inspections every Wednesday evening throughout the summer during the Cruisers cruises, and at every car show he attends. For more information on these organizations, go to (ndsra.com) or (dakotacruiser.com).